


Downtime

by mag_lex



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Graham's sandwiches, thasmin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-26 23:39:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19778860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mag_lex/pseuds/mag_lex
Summary: In between adventures, the fam have some downtime.Guest starring Graham's sandwiches.





	Downtime

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DoctorThasmin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctorThasmin/gifts).



> This was based on a prompt from DoctorThasmin, specifically requesting Graham's sandwiches (ft Branston pickle). It was meant to follow an angsty prompt but this popped into my head this morning 🤷 I will make up for the angst with more fluff after, I promise! My self-enforced break from writing will probably now resume until next weekend 👍

They'd been drifting in the vortex for hours, now. The Doctor had assured her companions that repairs would take no longer than half an hour, but suggested that they keep themselves occupied, "just in case".

Graham had merely raised an eyebrow and jumped on the chance to catch up on some sleep. 

"When you get to my age, you make the most of these opportunities," he intoned. 

"I'm so glad I'm not human," the Doctor sighed, adjusting her welding goggles. 

"I'm sure me and Yaz can keep ourselves amused in the meantime, right, Yaz?"

Ryan was hopping on the balls of his feet and Yaz knew why. He was excited to try the new videogame he'd picked up the other week, a cutting-edge virtual reality thing that Yaz rolled her eyes at. 

"Make sure you give yourself lots of space," the Doctor warned, knowing full well what he was about to do.

Yaz had given the Doctor a small wave as she headed off to her room, pondering what to do with the unexpected free time. Her week had been hectic and tiring thanks to several night shifts and although she was tired, she was also full of restless energy that was difficult to expend just drifting around. She needed to find an outlet. But as she wandered around the hallways she had a brainwave. Knowing full well the Doctor would take longer than half an hour, Yaz realised she had more than enough time to work on the project she'd wanted to start all week.

* * *

When the Doctor finally finished her repairs she was dismayed to see how long she'd taken. Her arms were streaked with engine oil, so it was lucky she'd removed her coat and rolled up her sleeves or her clothes would have been ruined. Her hair was messy from wearing the protective gear and she ran her hand through it, her fingers aching and burnt in places. She sighed, content that she had at least achieved a fix, before heading off to find out what her companions had got up to. 

She found Graham in the kitchen, unsurprisingly, making a sandwich. 

"Alright, Doc? Did you finish?"

The Doctor nodded wearily and grinned as Graham flicked on the kettle. 

"Cup of tea and a sandwich?"

"That depends on what's in the sandwich," the Doctor said suspiciously, leaning over to inspect what Graham had constructed. It did look good: two thick slices of white bread, a chunk of cheese, and...something brown. 

The Doctor sniffed the air experimentally. There was a sharp tang, almost fruity. 

"Pickle," Graham said, proudly.

The Doctor spied the open jar and before he could protest, stuck a finger in and licked it. As soon as the taste hit her tongue, she grimaced. 

"Oh my. That tastes just like my worst nightmare."

"Oi! That's Branston's. The best pickle there is, thank you very much." 

"Sorry, Graham. I reckon I'm more of a biscuit fan."

The Doctor picked up her tea and opened up a nearby cupboard, rummaging for custard creams. 

"Have you seen the others?" Graham asked, watching as she started to throw things out over her shoulder. 

"Not yet," the Doctor replied, fully planning on checking in on both Ryan and Yaz. 

"You know, there's probably easier ways of finding biscuits," Graham tutted, looking at the boxes of tea and cereal that were now littering the floor. When the Doctor wanted something, she could be a trifle impatient. 

"Aha!" 

The Doctor emerged victorious, biscuits held aloft. "What was that? Oh, yes. You may be onto something there, Graham. Perhaps I should keep some in my pockets."

The Doctor frowned when she realised she had no pockets to speak of. 

"Next time I have pockets, anyway. No pockets is definitely worse than empty pockets."

Bidding Graham goodbye, the Doctor, armed with a cup of tea and an entire packet of custard creams, headed off to find Ryan. 

She didn't have to look very hard; she could hear him from several hundred feet away. 

"Aaaah! No way, man, get off!"

He didn't sound too happy and she wondered what was going on. Perhaps something had broken into the TARDIS while she was working on her? Surely not, an alarm would have been triggered. Unless they were disabled when she…

The Doctor picked up the pace.

When the Doctor finally found him, she realised she needn't have worried about an intruder. Ryan was still playing his game, and if he'd been playing for this length of time then it wasn't surprising he was in distress. 

"Ryan! Get that thing off your head," the Doctor exclaimed. "If you wear it for too long you'll start to think it's real."

"Doctor?" Ryan said, putting his arms out to feel for her, no doubt like one of the zombies in the game he was playing. "Help me."

The Doctor put down her tea and biscuits. 

"I'm coming in," she warned. "Here, feel this? That's my hand." She put one hand on his shoulder, flinching when he jumped, and used the other to ease the headset off, letting it fall to the floor. 

Free of the device, Ryan's shoulders slumped in relief, eyes focusing on her face and escaping the reality he thought he'd been in. 

"Oh my god."

"You ok?" The Doctor's hand was still on Ryan's shoulder, and she was reluctant to leave before making sure he was okay. 

Ryan took a breath, hands braced on his knees. 

"That was amazing."

The Doctor sighed. 

"You were screaming, Ryan."

"I wasn't! I was just...reacting."

"No more of that today, please. You'll scramble your brain."

Ryan scoffed, then his face froze when he realised the Doctor's expression was deadly serious. 

"You're joking, right? Brains can't scramble."

The Doctor merely raised an eyebrow and retrieved her precious cargo. 

"But they can't, can they?"

The Doctor left the room. Her work was done; hopefully Ryan would think twice about playing for too long again. 

_Two down, one to go_. 

She had left Yaz until last because she didn't want to cut things short, like she had with the others. In all honesty, the first person she had wanted to see was Yaz, so it was almost a test of will to see if she could delay talking to her. But the Doctor felt a tell-tale warmth in her chest when she realised she could finally go and find Yasmin Khan. No offence to the boys, but she definitely had a favourite. The sheer number of gold stars she awarded to Yaz attested to that. 

It turned out that Yaz was doing something the Doctor had never expected her to do. She had just been about to announce her arrival but she held back, her hand hovering by the door. 

Yaz was painting. She had been for some time, if her progress was anything to go by. The canvas she was working on was full of colour, flowers and trees filling most of the space. After a second, it clicked - the Doctor recognised a forest from one of their recent trips. It had been a lovely day out, but the Doctor couldn't help but wonder why Yaz had chosen to paint that particular scene. 

Unable to resist asking any longer, she knocked. 

"I had no idea you painted," the Doctor commented, finally entering Yaz's room. 

"Ah, I wouldn't know if I'd call it that," 

"I'd definitely call it that," the Doctor nodded, ending the argument. "I brought you tea. And biscuits."

Yaz gratefully accepted them, touched that the Doctor had thought of her. "I was just thinking I could murder a cuppa."

As the Doctor continued to take in the painting, Yaz took the Doctor in, instead. 

"Did the repairs go okay?" 

The Doctor nodded absently, still entranced by the colours. 

"You're absolutely covered in oil, by the way."

That got her attention. The Doctor looked down at herself, noting the smears on the skin of her arms. Her eyes drifted up to Yaz, who was still staring at her exposed arms with an odd look on her face. 

A face that had pink paint on it. 

"You're one to talk, Yasmin Khan." She could have sworn she saw Yaz swallow hard at the use of her full name. 

"C'mere."

Yaz took a hesitant step forward, tea forgotten and already cooling on the side. 

She bit her lip as the Doctor used a thumb to wipe the offending paint from her cheek, the cool touch leaving fire in its wake. The tension inside her was becoming unbearable and she reflexively took a breath, realising too late that it had been audible. 

"Sorry, was that too rough? I didn't mean-"

"No, no. It's ok." Yaz tried to calm her breathing but it had become a conscious effort given their proximity. Finally, she had to admit defeat and pull away. 

"You've ruined the surprise, by the way," Yaz said, turning back to the painting and giving herself a moment to recover. Being up so close and personal with the Doctor never failed to turn her into a nervous wreck. 

"I recognise this," the Doctor said. "Can I ask why you chose it?"

Yaz closed her eyes for a second, visualising the memory. 

"You and I were in this clearing. Do you remember? Graham and Ryan were having a break and we went for a walk together. And we found this spot."

Yaz turned back to look at the Doctor, wondering if she remembered. She had a faint look of recognition on her face, so Yaz ploughed onwards. 

"There were these flowers," she continued, gesturing back at the painting. "You gave me one."

The Doctor nodded slowly. "I did."

"I kept it," Yaz admitted. She walked over to the bed, and to a vase that had been hidden behind the lamp on the bedside table. She willed her hands to be steady as she picked up the ceramic, but the flower still wavered slightly. It was wilting, but she was loathe to get rid of it. 

"You said someone as pretty as me should have pretty things."

The Doctor nodded again, keeping quiet. She hadn't meant to be so honest but she couldn't help it - the moment had been perfect. 

"Well, now I want you to have something pretty too. Although I don't think this is a patch on the real thing." Yaz deflated slightly as she put the vase down again, realising her painting didn't quite do justice to the source material.

"Hey now," the Doctor protested, coming back to life. "It's beautiful. I love it."

With that she took two strides, closing the distance between them and planting her hands on Yaz's shoulders as she brushed a kiss against her cheek.

"I love it," she repeated, as if she was thinking aloud. Then she flushed as pink as the paint that had been on Yaz's cheek. 

"Sorry, Yaz, I'm a bit out of practice. I probably shouldn't have done that and I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, I'm so-"

"Do it again," Yaz breathed, barely able to move. The Doctor's hands were still on her shoulders, keeping her still. Not that she could move a muscle anyway. She could feel the solid weight of those marvellous hands on her, grounding her. 

"Why?" The Doctor seemed utterly confused and Yaz tried not to roll her eyes. 

"I liked it," Yaz shrugged, feeling the Doctor's hands rise with the motion. _May as well be honest_.

The Doctor scrutinised Yaz's face, looking for clues. Then she leaned forwards, bringing her lips towards Yaz once more. But at the last possible second they both moved, seeking each other out properly. 

Later, Yaz would wonder who had initiated their first kiss but for the time being she was overjoyed to feel the Doctor's face so close, her lips moving against her own.

The Doctor was a very good kisser, which took Yaz by complete surprise. Looks could be deceiving, and Yaz's thoughts inevitably drifted to what the Doctor was like in bed. Maybe she'd get to find out. The thought made her knees weak and she moaned, feeling the Doctor's fingers tangle in her hair. 

Finally she had to tear herself away for air, her heart hammering inside her chest. They were both flushed, panting slightly. The Doctor had a look in her eye that Yaz had never seen before. She looked...hungry.

"When we were in the forest and you gave me that flower, I thought you were going to kiss me," Yaz finally said, feeling emboldened. "I've thought about it ever since."

"That makes two of us," the Doctor admitted, tugging Yaz closer by the belt loop of her jeans. 

**Author's Note:**

> As ever, come find me if you want to chat! @maglex on Tumblr and @_mag_lex on Twitter 🙂


End file.
